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Farscape Encyclopedia Project:Canon
The goal of the Farscape Encyclopedia Project is to be a reliable, concise guide to all readers in its description of the Farscape universe and associated material. Towards this end, it is necessary for us to restrict to some extent the type of information we accept. Ultimately, this will ensure that this encyclopedia remains useful and authoritative for the widest possible range of fans. This policy is not intended to mandate a single way of viewing the Farscape universe, and does not exist to promote any particular critical judgment on the various series and movies; it exists to permit an orderly cataloging of data into manageable categories with a minimum of conflict and a maximum amount of fidelity to the episodes as shown. With that in mind, archivists should at all times be tolerant and respectful of other viewpoints, opinions, and conclusions. Summary of policy Articles need to cite each resource used as the basis for their information. Generally, everything seen or heard in any Farscape episode or comic published by BOOM! Studios can be used as a resource for an article. Information from production materials (such as dialogue in scripts that was cut for the finished product) and reference materials (such as Farscape: The Illustrated Companion) should be noted in the relevant article's background section, while information from official novels and similar publications should be included under an "apocrypha" section of the relevant article(s). Article types On the Farscape Encyclopedia Project, we differentiate between two types of articles: * Farscape'' universe articles''' or In-universe articles. These articles are written about subjects inside the Farscape universe, using an "in-universe" point of view. Subjects can include events, objects, or anything mentioned in an episode or movie. They must adhere strictly to the canon policy. * Farscape franchise articles. These articles are written from a "meta" or real life point of view, and are written about the Farscape franchise. Subjects can include articles about the production of the episodes themselves, as well as articles about novels, games, and other official materials, as well as pages about the actors and actresses. These pages are not covered by the canon policy. Citations Farscape universe articles require that all statements of fact be supported by reference to identified source material that is a "valid resource". Failure to identify a referenced source, or use of a source that is not a valid resource, may result in removal or revision of the associated statement and/or article. Farscape franchise articles should have citations as necessary, but the citations do not have to be to a valid resource. Resources Episodes This includes the following: * All Farscape series episodes * Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars * All comics published by BOOM! Studios '''''Articles should not be created for subjects that are not seen or heard of in an episode or post-PK Wars comic. Valid resources The following are valid resources from the episodes and movies and may be referenced in Farscape universe articles as citations, in descending order of precedence: # Spoken dialogue (what is said) # Visual material (what is seen) # Aural material (what is heard that is not dialogue) Visual material can be supplemented by clearer visual images of the identical material seen (for example, production art identifiable as being the same as shown on screen in an episode but more legible than what is shown on screen) if the clearer image is a freeze frame from the episode, contained in an authorized publication, or otherwise generally and publicly available from a verifiable production source. Production and reference materials The following resources may be referenced in Farscape universe articles, but should be formatted as background information as described in the Farscape Encyclopedia Project's Manual of Style. # Reference works created by production staff #* The Farscape: The Illustrated Companion series #* The Creatures of Farscape: Inside Jim Henson's Creature Shop # Material used day-to-day by production staff #*Any writer/director's guide for the Farscape series (aka "Writer's Bible") #*Any writer/director's technical manual for the Farscape series #*Any scripts of an episode; provided that spelling can be used as valid resources, but will not take precedence over spelling seen on-screen in an episode. # Other information derived from production staff #*Information from scifi.com #*Supplementary DVD materials (for example, interviews, commentary, documentaries – anything that is not the episode itself) #*Background information from the production staff (from interviews with Rockne S. O'Bannon, Ricky Eyres, etc.) #*Closed-captioned dialogue; provided that spelling can be used as valid resources, but will not take precedence over spelling seen in a script or on-screen in an episode. # Reference works created by non-production staff # Material intentionally not in episodes #*Cut or alternative scenes from episodes as compared to those originally broadcast (for television). #*Portions of sets, props, makeup, and costumes to the extent not seen on-screen in an episode, even if they existed in real life. #*Scripts, series, and other material contemplated but not produced and released. #*Any other behind-the-scenes or production material The only exception to the exclusion of production or reference material not seen on-screen from the main body of an article is for naming items or people that were seen on-screen but not referred to by name. The primary reason for this is to avoid creating a large number of "unnamed" subject pages when an official name already exists. In the event that any of this information contradicts on-screen information, however, then the information stated on-screen will take precedence. Also, dates for certain events in the Farscape universe that were derived from official reference materials may be used, but these are not strictly canon. A background note explaining where the source was derived from should be provided and, as with the naming rule above, are to be ignored should they be contradicted on screen. Please note that text from these works should not be repeated verbatim in articles. The relevant information should not be referenced in every possible article, but only in the most relevant one. For example, include information about a ship's otherwise unknown class in the article about that ship, but not in every article that mentions the ship. Non-canon resources The following resources may be referenced in Farscape universe articles, but should only appear in an "Apocrypha" section of a given article (see Manual of Style), not in the main text of the article: :*Authorized fiction books :*WildStorm comic books :*Authorized games * Care should be taken regarding the quantity of such information included as the Farscape Encyclopedia Project's primary purpose does not extend to detailed coverage of non-canon Farscape. Archivists should use the section more as guidance for further independent study by a reader outside of the Farscape Encyclopedia Project than a comprehensive review or extensive description. * Cover art and similar imagery should not be used. * Non-canon resources are not to be the basis of an independent Farscape universe article if not mentioned in or part of an episode or movie (for example, characters, ships, and events not part of the episodes are not to have primary articles created for them). * As with production and reference materials above, relevant information should not be referenced in every possible article, but only in the most relevant one. Invalid resources The following resources are considered invalid and should not be referenced in any form in a Farscape universe article: *Fan-made blueprints and specifications *Fan fiction of any kind *Fan reference works of any kind *Websites, unless information is also contained in a valid reference; provided that links to non-commercial external websites of interest can be included in an "External link" or similar section. Conflicts in valid resources In the event of a conflict between otherwise valid resources, the preferred approach is that the conflict should be noted and both resources remain valid. But to the greatest extent possible valid resources should be construed so as not to be in conflict. The presumption should be that a conflict does not exist unless no other explanation is reasonable under the circumstances. In the event that two valid resources (for example, two spoken lines of dialogue; a spoken line and a graphic) conflict, either can be referenced as a valid resource, provided the other is also included in some manner in the article and the conflict noted. Explanations of the conflict (for example, suggestions for reconciliation) and the reason for the selection of one resource over another can appear in a manner that is set off from the main text of the article (for example, indented italics, or on a discussion page). In writing articles archivists should be guided by the principle that a valid resource with a higher precedence can (but does not have to) be given slightly greater evidentiary weight for purposes of writing the article from a Farscape universe standpoint than the valid resource with a lower precedence. The conflict still needs to be noted in the article, though. Tolerance in valid resources The following matters will not affect the validity of a resource: :*Different actors portraying the same character. :*Differences in actors' appearance over the years. :*Sophistication of optical effects (for example, starburst, CGI) :*Use of interior sets for exterior locations, or other such matters due to film production capabilities :*Production mistakes (for example, microphones in shot; differences due to different "takes" being used in editing; post-production errors or artifacts; etc.) :*The archivist's assessment of the trustworthiness of the character who is the source of the resource (for example, Furlow), or the archivist's assessment of the overall accuracy of the information contained in the resource. (Note that archivists are free to describe the resource's data in the article as "Character X stated that..." if there is a desire to imply that the resource may not be entirely accurate; however, any further commentary on the perceived accuracy of a resource should be confined to the "Background" section rather than in the body of the article) Deleting invalid articles in whole or in part If a Farscape universe article contains nothing but information cited to other than valid resources, it may be listed on pages for deletion and thereafter deleted in accordance with the then-current deletion policy. If a Farscape universe article contains information cited to other than valid resources, cites a valid resource that conflicts with another valid resource without clearly addressing the conflict, or contains excessive amounts of background or non-canon data, the issue should be noted on the article's individual . After a reasonable period of time for discussion, the article may be revised to include only appropriate citation to valid resources, appropriate notations as to conflicts among valid resources, and/or reduced levels of background or non-canon data. Prior to such reasonable time, and except in cases of vandalism, obscenity, and similar reasons, an article should not be edited to simply delete and/or modify the text.